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Sunday, December 1, 2024
Are the Jewish People Still God's People? - Part 2
Dennis Edwards
To go back to Part 1
What about the
prophecies to the Jewish people and state of Israel which we seem to find in
the Old Testament?
Yes, there are
prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the state of the nation of Israel in
the latter days. Many of the prophecies concerning Israel have been fulfilled
or are being fulfilled. These prophecies include the following:
The people would
return to the land in unbelief;
Isaiah 11:11-12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord
shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people
which shall be left,…And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall
assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
Jeremiah 30:3 For, lo, the days come, says the Lord, that I will
bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, says the Lord: and I
will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they
shall possess it.
Ezekiel 20:33-38 33 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out
arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: 34 And
I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries
wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out arm, and
with fury poured out. 35 And I will bring you into the
wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness
of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, says the Lord God. 37 And I will cause you to
pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: 38 And
I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against
me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they
shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 36:22-24 22 Therefore say unto
the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but
for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye
went. 23 And I will sanctify my great name, which
was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them;
and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and
gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Zephaniah 2:1-2 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O
nation not desired (the Jewish people), before the decree bring forth, before
the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you,
before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you.
A nation would be born in one day;
Isaiah 66:8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?
Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at
once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
They would make the
desert blossom like a rose;
Isaiah 35:1 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad
for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom like a rose.
And fill the nations
of the earth with fruit.
Isaiah 27:6 He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root:
Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
Even Jesus may have
made a prophecy concerning the Jewish nation. In the Old Testament the nation
of Israel is sometimes symbolized as a fig tree. In Jesus’ end-time prophecy
about the last seven years before His 2nd coming, we find the
following words:
Matthew 24:32-35 Now learn a parable of the fig tree (Some think Jesus
is speaking about the nation of Israel.); When his branch is tender, and puts
forth leaves you know that the summer is nigh: so likewise, ye, when ye shall
see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say
unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Some Christians
interpret the above prophecy as meaning that the generation that sees Israel
become a nation in the last days, is the generation that will see the
fulfilling of the rest of the Bible prophecies concerning the last seven years.
Since Israel became a nation in one day in 1948, and since a generation in the
Bible is alluded to as being between 70 and 80 years in Psalm 90:10,
many are anticipating the fulfilment of Bible prophecy to take place very soon.
The year 2,028 would be 80 years since Israel became a nation.
Because these prophecies have been and are being fulfilled in our lifetime, many Christians have come to believe that the Jewish people are still God’s special people. They believe it is God’s will for them to help Israel and believe God will bless them for blessing Israel. They believe that since it was God’s will for the Jewish People to return to Palestine, then it must be God’s will for the Jewish people to control it.
The Western Christians, therefore, give special
favour to Israel and do not hold Israel accountable for her sins. After all,
they are God’s people and He has promised them the land. Because of these
end-time prophecies concerning the nation of Israel, people have become
confused and make a special category for Israel. They consider Israel God’s
covenant nation, God’s special people, therefore, we must bless them, if we
want God’s blessing on our lives. But they haven’t really thought through what
they are believing.
The truth is, God
loves all nations and peoples as they are all part of His creation. He would
that all would repent and come to Him. He loves the Jewish people, and in His
word, He has promised a remnant shall be saved in the latter days. However, as
nations and as individuals, we are accountable for our behaviour before God and
before our fellow man. Each man, each nation, shall give an account and shall
be judged by their actions for or against the ways of God.
In conclusion, as much of Bible prophecy in the last days revolves around the nation of Israel, many Christians have come to believe that the Jewish people are special in God’s sight. The temple sacrifices will be held on the temple mount in Jerusalem once again and then stopped. The Antichrist will place the abomination of desolation in the holy place in Jerusalem (Daniel 9:27, 11:31) and say that he is God as he sits in the temple in Jerusalem (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
The two
end-time prophets will prophesize in Jerusalem for 1,260 days (Revelation
11:3), and their dead bodies shall lie in the street of Jerusalem for three
and a half days (Revelation 11:9&11). When Jesus comes back at
Armageddon His feet will stand on the mount of Olives in Jerusalem (Zechariah
14:4). With all these Bible prophecies in and around Jerusalem in the last
days, it seems that the Jewish people are still God’s people.
Christians in America, and many others around the world influenced by American Christian theology, therefore, tolerate the state of Israel’s actions and justify whatever Israel does. They condemn the Arab peoples. They fail to see Israel’s sins against humanity, and against the poor Arabs that once lived in the land. They fail to see Israel’s sins against God and His Son Jesus. Israel uses the promises to Abraham to justify their removal of the Arabs peoples from off the land.
God’s
word, however, clearly states that the Jewish people have forfeited their right
to the promises of Abraham. As they have forsaken God, God has forsaken them,
though He has not cast them off completely. The Jewish people are, therefore, usurpers
and should not be given special privilege above other peoples or nations.
Judgment is coming for all nations. Even the prophecies about the Jewish
people’s return say that God brings them back to judge them as we have seen
earlier.
Ezekiel 20:33-38 33 As
I live, saith the Lord God,
surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out arm, and with fury poured
out, will I rule over you: 34 And I will bring you out
from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are
scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out arm, and with fury
poured out. 35 And I will bring you into the wilderness
of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
36 Like
as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will
I plead with you, saith the Lord God.
37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I
will bring you into the bond of the covenant: 38 And I
will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me:
I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall
not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
The prophecies in Zechariah seem to indicate that in
the last days, two-thirds of the Jewish people who have returned to Israel will
die in the wars of the Antichrist, and only one-third shall survive. That
one-third survives because they repent of their evil deeds and unbelief and find
true faith in Jesus the Christ, the true Messiah.
Zechariah 13:8-9 And
it shall come to pass, that in all the land, says the Lord, two parts therein
shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring
the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and
will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My name, and I will hear
them: I will say, It is My people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.
God will chastise Israel, and later judges the Antichrist's followers that come against her. But because of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He will not make a full end of the Jewish people. We see above in Zechariah, that it seems, one-third of the nation comes to Christ under God's chastisement, and become part of spiritual Israel. Here are another section of verses showing that God has promised to not make a full-end of Israel.
Jeremiah 46:27-28 But fear not, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for behold, I will save you from afar off, and your seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be at rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid. Fear not, O Jacob my servant, says the Lord: for I am with you; for I will make a full end of all nations whither I have driven you in measure; yet will I not leave you wholly unpunished.
Only those that truly repent and come to Christ in truth shall be saved. Elsewhere in Scripture during the time of the great tribulation period we see that not only in Israel, but in other parts of the world, most likely the northern hemisphere where the nuclear weapons remain, some one-third of humanity shall die.
Revelation 9:13-15
& 17-19 13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard
a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 Saying
to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound
in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four
angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month,
and a year, for to slay the third part of men…17 And
thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having
breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the
horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and
smoke and brimstone. 18 By these three was the
third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone,
which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their
power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto
serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
In the vision of the Great Tribulation, Apostle John sees the sixth trumpet of tribulation resulting in the death to one-third of mankind. The imagery may be of present-day military machines, which Apostle John in 90 AD did his best to describe, using vocabulary of his day. Not only Israel will suffer, but the nations of the world shall suffer for their sins.
Those nations that knew the Gospel and
disobeyed God’s word will get judged more severely than those that had less of
an understanding. God is a just God and will judge mankind accordingly. Our
only hope in face of the events that may soon take place is to believe on the
only begotten Son of God and follow His commandments, which themselves, are not
grievous.
John 3:16, 18-19 For God so loved the world, (all the nations of the world), that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus), that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son. And this is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and that men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.
Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved and thy house.
Romans
10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.
1 John 4:14-15, 19, 21 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God… We love Him, because He first loved us… And this is the commandment have we from Him, That he who loves God love his brother also.
To Back to Part 1
Credits to Sam Shamounian. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvWrjCDn2KQ
Are the Jewish People Still God's People? - Part 1
Dennis Edwards with Sam Shamounian
I have heard a lot of arguments for and against the Jewish people being God’s people. A friend of mine has asked me to get together some verses to show what the New Testament says on the subject. The first section will look at is Jesus’ parable about the wicked husbandmen, that Jesus gave to the chief priests and elders of the people, when he spoke to them in the temple, a few days before His arrest and death.
Matthew 21:33-43 The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen:
33 Hear
another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and
hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let
it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: 34 And
when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen,
that they might receive the fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one,
and killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again, he
sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. 37 But
last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 38 But
when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir;
come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39 And
they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard comes, what
will he do unto those husbandmen?
41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those
wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall
render him the fruits in their seasons.
42 Jesus said unto them, Did ye never read in the
scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head
of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43 Therefore
say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a
nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And
whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall
fall, it will grind him to powder.
45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his
parables, they perceived that he spoke of them. 46 But
when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they
took him for a prophet.
Jesus is plainly
saying that the leaders of the Jewish nation are no longer worthy to be leaders
of the kingdom of God on earth. Therefore, God will raise up another nation
more worthy of the commission. That new nation is true Christianity. I say, “true
Christianity,” because much of today’s Christianity is similar to Judaism at
the time of Christ, more interested in religious ceremonialism than in bringing
the Good News of the Gospel to nations of the world. Jesus has said that the
kingdom was taken from the Jewish people and given to a nation which will bring
forth the fruits thereof. That nation is the true living church of God made up
of true believers and followers of Jesus Christ. It is not the nation of
Israel.
Matthew 8:5-13 The Centurion Soldier: 5 And
when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion,
beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lies at
home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And
Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The
centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under
my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For
I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man,
Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do
this, and he does it.
10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them
that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not
in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come
from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,
in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the
kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion,
Go thy way; and as you have believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant
was healed in the self-same hour.
Again, we see a
similar comment by Jesus in relation to the Jewish people or nation of Israel.
We find the Roman Centurion being complimented for his great faith. Jesus in
fact says that He hasn’t found such faith as the centurion’s in all of Israel.
He finishes up saying that many shall come from the east and the west, in other
words from Gentile countries, and sit down with the Fathers of faith, while the
children of the kingdom, the Jewish people, will be cast out into outer
darkness. Jesus is prophesizing what will happen to the unbelieving Jewish
people if they continue to walk in unbelief and rejection of Christ.
From here, we will go
to the Epistles.
Romans 2:26-29 26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness
of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27 And
shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge you,
who by the letter and circumcision do transgress the law? 28 For
he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is
outward in the flesh:29 But he is a Jew, which is one
inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the
letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Apostle Paul is making
the point the real follower of God is the one that truly follows the ways of
God, whether or not he is fulfilling certain religious or ceremonial laws.
Being a “Jew” is not a matter of observing certain religious and ceremonial
laws and, therefore, having an appearance of righteousness. Being a real “Jew”
is having our hearts and lives circumcised by the Spirit of God, so that we
walk in obedience to His commandments, in that we love God with all our heart,
soul, and mind; and that we love our neighbour as ourselves.
Apostle Paul goes on
to clarify to the early church who the true seed of Abraham was.
Galatians 4:21-31 21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not
hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two
sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But
he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman
was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for
these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which genders to
bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to
Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But
Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For
it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bears not; break forth and cry, thou
that travails not: for the desolate has many more children than she which has a
husband.
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of
promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh
persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless
what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of
the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So
then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
Apostle Paul is showing
the difference between the two seeds of Abraham: the seed of Hagar which was
after the flesh, and the seed of Sarah which was after the promise of God. He
equates the Jewish people after the flesh, the flesh and blood descendants of
Sarah and Abraham, as the seed of bondage, and in reality, being the seed of
Hagar. He equates the new Christian believers as the true seed of promise, the
true seed of Sarah and Abraham born after the Spirit of God. In other words,
Apostle Paul is equating the unbelieving seed of Abraham, the Jewish people,
with the unbelieving seed of Hagar. They are both under bondage and not free.
Let us look quickly at
Genesis 21 where Sarah asks Abraham to remove Hagar and Ismael from
their camp.
Genesis 21:8-12 8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a
great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. 9 And
Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham,
mocking. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out
this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir
with my son, even with Isaac. 11 And the thing was very
grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. 12 And
God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad,
and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah has said unto thee, hearken
unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Here is the historical
event that Apostle Paul was making reference to. It is literally an allegory of
what is to take place. The true seed of Abraham is the seed of promise, the
seed of faith, and not the seed of the flesh. Jesus Himself said to the
Pharisees:
John 8:39b-40 If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works
of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man that has told you the truth,
which I have heard of God; this did not Abraham.
In the book of
Revelation Jesus has a similar condemnation to the leaders of the Jewish nation
who rejected Him.
Revelation 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan,
which do say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them
to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Jesus is giving that
message to the Philadelphian church, the church that has kept His word and has
not denied His name. The Philadelphian church represents the true and obedient
followers of God.
The leaders of the
Jewish people who have rejected Jesus will receive condemnation unless they
repent and bow before the Son of Man. Ultimately, all mankind will bow to Jesus
and confess Him as Lord.
Philippians 2:9-11 Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given
Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the
earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.
In the passage in
Galatians above Apostle Paul mentions “Jerusalem that is above,” which is the
same new Jerusalem we find in Revelation 21. Though Jesus may return on
Mount Zion in physical Jerusalem according to Zechariah 14:4, our home
is in heavenly new Jerusalem, for we look for a city that is not made with
hands.
Hebrews 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, a
heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He has
prepared for them a city.
That’s not earthly
Jerusalem, but new Jerusalem that is from above.
Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of
the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of
angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written
in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made
perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of
sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel.
We that believe on and
follow the words of Jesus the Christ are destined for new Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:1-4 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And
I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I
heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away.
That’s the Jerusalem
we are living and dying for, a heavenly city, eternal, cut out without hands
where God will dwell with His creation.
Let us go back to
Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Paul makes the point that Jesus is the
One Seed of Abraham that would bless all families of the earth (Genesis 12:3).
Galatians 3:15-18 15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it
be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannuls, or adds
thereto. 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the
promises made. He said not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy
seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the
covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four
hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the
promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance be of
the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Apostle Paul is
reaffirming that Jesus is the Promised Seed of Abraham that would bless all the
families of the earth. “But as many as received Him to them gave He the power
to become the sons of God, even to those that believe on His name,” John
1:12. As a side note, Jesus is also the seed of Eve that would crush the
head of the serpent found in Genesis 3:15. Apostle Paul goes on to say
that the seed of Abraham are the true believers in Christ and heirs of all the
promises of God to the Fathers.
Galatians 3:26-29 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into
Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye
are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ's,
then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
God told Abraham that
He would bless them that blessed him, and curse them that cursed him: and that
in him all the families of the earth would be blessed, (Genesis 12:3). It
is in Abraham’s seed, Jesus Christ, that all the families of the earth are
blessed. We that believe and follow Christ are also Abraham’s seed. We should
be a blessing to the world for as Jesus has said, we are the light of the
world, and salt of the earth. Let men, therefore, see your good works and
glorify God.
The Jewish people,
though bright and blessed mentally and in many ways above their brethren, have
failed in being a blessing they were ordained to be. They rejected the true
Seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ. We Christians should take note and not fall from
our faithfulness through the deceitfulness of sin which results in unbelief.
Hebrews 3:12-14 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.
To go to Part 2
Credits to Sam Shamounian.
See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvWrjCDn2KQ
